Cab or combo?

I wanted to know what you guys who have experience gigging use and what you prefer using, I may be starting a band soon and would like to know. I currently have a crappy 80 watt combo just for practising.

dont worry about him.he is a stray guitarist that has wondered into the bass forum.the majority of bass amps are solid state (especially in the lower price ranges) so you wont really need to worry about the differences.

dont worry about him.he is a stray guitarist that has wondered into the bass forum.the majority of bass amps are solid state (especially in the lower price ranges) so you wont really need to worry about the differences.

I really feel like a stack is the way to go if you look at it in the long run. With a stack you can always upgrade piece by piece, add more things to it and try out different combinations of speaker sizes, heads, and what not. Also if anything gets damaged beyond repair you wouldn't have to replace the whole thing, just one part.

tube pre amps move air better, so you get more sound per watt, or something like that. Basically we'd need to know what you're looking for in order for us to recommend something.

You're way off the mark, the pre-amp stage just shapes the sound, it is the power/output stage that moves air, a valve/tube combo of 100+ watts will be extremely heavey.Combos are more often designed for convenience therefore the price to pay is that you rarely get a speaker compartment that utilises the performance of the loudspeaker to it's optimum.

You're way off the mark, the pre-amp stage just shapes the sound, it is the power/output stage that moves air, a valve/tube combo of 100+ watts will be extremely heavey.Combos are more often designed for convenience therefore the price to pay is that you rarely get a speaker compartment that utilises the performance of the loudspeaker to it's optimum.

You will be very lucky to get a combo that does evrything you need unless even in full band rehearsals you augment it with PA/FOH.

Regardless of how unlikely it is to find a combo that does everything you need, are you suggesting you shouldn't get it simply because it's a combo? Personally, I prefer stacks but whatever gets the job done.

Regardless of how unlikely it is to find a combo that does everything you need, are you suggesting you shouldn't get it simply because it's a combo? Personally, I prefer stacks but whatever gets the job done.

In it's most simplistic terms yes, combos will always be a compromise; that is unless you have support via the PA or an extension cab which in itself then converts into a hybrid stack.

u could always get a 2x10 combo, and the add on a cab when u dont have enough volume. Use the combo for practices, and the add on the cab for gigs..

That actually isn't a bad idea, as long as you don't mind the speakers being the same brand as the head. Very good for convenience, but if you're more discriminating toward your rig's tone, you might not be satisfied.

All of the better-sounding rigs I've experienced have been mixed brand stacks. For example, my mentor's stack is a GK 700RB head with Fender Bassman cabs. It's probably the best stack I've ever played out of. In the sanctuary of my church, however, we have a GK 700RB-210 combo. That's the same amp, different speakers. And I've simply never been satisfied with the sound coming out of those 2 10" speakers. It just doesn't seem to be good enough for the head, I don't know. And I have experience with 210 cabs, it's not just the fact that the combo is a 210, as opposed to the stack's 410+115.